Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dalian and Shenzhen

For one person, living is cheaper in Dalian: $917 a month against $1,117 in Shenzhen, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Shenzhen outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

44

Cost of Living Index in Dalian
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Dalian Living Index
54

Cost of Living Index in Shenzhen
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Shenzhen Living Index

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Dalian

🇨🇳 China

$917

/mo nomad

Shenzhen

🇨🇳 China

$1,117

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dalian and in Shenzhen

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Dalian and in Shenzhen actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $917 in Dalian versus $1,117 in Shenzhen.

Dalian $917
Shenzhen $1,117

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,453 in Dalian versus $1,714 in Shenzhen.

Dalian $1,453
Shenzhen $1,714

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,989 in Dalian versus $2,310 in Shenzhen.

Dalian $1,989
Shenzhen $2,310

Living in Dalian costs roughly 18% less than in Shenzhen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Dalian 33% lower, Shenzhen 18% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.66 ¥24.33

$3.66 ¥24.31

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$25.01 ¥166

$29.39 ¥195

-14.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.38 ¥35.77

$5.28 ¥35.12

1.89%

Cappuccino

$3.43 ¥22.79

$3.36 ¥22.31

2.08%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.48 ¥3.18

$0.58 ¥3.84

-17.24%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.23 ¥1.52

$0.36 ¥2.37

-36.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.99 ¥6.56

$1.48 ¥9.81

-33.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.51 ¥10.04

$2.14 ¥14.24

-29.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.64 ¥10.89

$1.54 ¥10.21

6.49%

White Bread (500g)

$1.50 ¥9.93

$1.63 ¥10.83

-7.98%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.95 ¥6.32

$1.14 ¥7.59

-16.67%

Eggs

$1.57 ¥10.45

$1.75 ¥11.62

-10.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$20.12 ¥134

$20.74 ¥138

-2.99%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.50 ¥23.29

$3.41 ¥22.68

2.64%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.81 ¥85.1

$14.42 ¥95.8

-11.17%

Apples (1kg)

$1.28 ¥8.54

$2.25 ¥14.94

-43.11%

Banana (1kg)

$1.09 ¥7.24

$1.62 ¥10.77

-32.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.97 ¥13.06

$1.94 ¥12.86

1.55%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.89 ¥5.93

$1.42 ¥9.46

-37.32%

Potato (1kg)

$0.89 ¥5.91

$1.08 ¥7.19

-17.59%

Onion (1kg)

$0.69 ¥4.57

$1.28 ¥8.51

-46.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.31 ¥8.69

$0.60 ¥3.96

118.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.63 ¥4.18

$0.56 ¥3.75

12.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.83 ¥25.42

$4.43 ¥29.46

-13.54%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.01 ¥99.8

$12.08 ¥80.3

24.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.12 ¥7.45

$0.92 ¥6.14

21.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.86 ¥12.34

$1.83 ¥12.13

1.64%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 ¥1.92

$0.44 ¥2.90

-34.09%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.71 ¥197

$18.05 ¥120

64.60%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.54 ¥10.24

$1.53 ¥10.14

0.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.43 ¥2.86

$0.41 ¥2.74

4.88%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.24 ¥28.19

$7.36 ¥48.90

-42.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 ¥8.43

$1.32 ¥8.76

-3.79%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$19.2K ¥127.6K

$19.2K ¥127.8K

-0.16%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$17.3K ¥115.2K

$18.0K ¥119.9K

-3.96%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$66.0 ¥438

$64.8 ¥430

1.87%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$9.51 ¥63.2

$9.90 ¥65.8

-3.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.65 ¥90.7

$16.40 ¥109

-16.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.42 ¥269

$48.95 ¥325

-17.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$36.60 ¥243

$16.95 ¥113

115.93%

Cinema Ticket

$6.94 ¥46.14

$7.28 ¥48.37

-4.67%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$403 ¥2,675

$537 ¥3,567

-25.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.6K ¥136.9K

$24.4K ¥162.2K

-15.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$76.0 ¥505

$55.7 ¥370

36.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.9 ¥372

$40.56 ¥270

37.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 ¥745

$73.1 ¥485

53.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 ¥807

$93.9 ¥624

29.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$406 ¥2,699

$753 ¥5,003

-46.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$238 ¥1,581

$471 ¥3,127

-49.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$701 ¥4,660

$1,847 ¥12.3K

-62.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$450 ¥2,988

$830 ¥5,516

-45.84%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,636 ¥17.5K

$13.2K ¥87.6K

-80.01%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,644 ¥10.9K

$6,479 ¥43.1K

-74.63%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,077 ¥7,158

$1,763 ¥11.7K

-38.89%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.89

3.35

16.12%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Dalian: October 25, 2026

Last update for Shenzhen: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Groceries & Markets

Dalian

$239 26.1%

Shenzhen

$249 22.3% 4.1% $9.8

Accommodation & Living

Dalian

$238 26%

Shenzhen

$471 42.1% 97.8% $233

Clothing & Footwear

Dalian

$164 17.9%

Shenzhen

$118 10.6% 28% $46

Eating Out

Dalian

$97 10.6%

Shenzhen

$101 9% 3.5% $3.4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dalian

$89 9.7%

Shenzhen

$91 8.2% 2.2% $1.9

Sport & Entertainment

Dalian

$54 5.9%

Shenzhen

$64 5.7% 16.9% $9.2

Getting Around

Dalian

$35 3.8%

Shenzhen

$23 2.1% 32.3% $11

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $406 in Dalian and $753 in Shenzhen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Shenzhen pays 64% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $25 in Dalian vs $29 in Shenzhen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $239 vs $249 per month, with Dalian cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Dalian

🇨🇳 Shenzhen

🕒 Local time

19:11 7:11 PM

Same time as Dalian

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

7,450,785

12,528,300

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Dalian Shenzhen 1,960 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Dalian
Shenzhen

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Dalian vs Shenzhen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $917 in Dalian and $1,117 in Shenzhen, so Dalian is about 18% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 39% lower in Dalian. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $406 in Dalian versus $753 in Shenzhen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $403 in Dalian versus $537 in Shenzhen. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 4% higher in Shenzhen. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

For families, Dalian is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Shenzhen, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

It comes down to priorities – Dalian wins on affordability, Shenzhen on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.